Day 14, 15, & 16

When I started this trip, I planned to recite a land acknowledgement as I crossed tribal ancestral lands, and then the travel started to take precedence over my original intention. Consequently, I’d like to acknowledge that I am traveling over the ancestral lands, most all of which are unceded and belong to the Chehalis, Skokomish, Chinook, Clatsop-Nehalem, Coos-Lower Umpqua-Siuslaw, Coquille, Siletz, Tolowa-Dee-ni’, Elk Valley, Resighini, Yurok, Wiyot, Chetco, Karuk, and Hupa people.

I’m still here! Sort of. I had to take a day off and since it was supposed to rain today, I thought this would be a good day to rest. Unfortunately, it would have been a wonderful day to ride as the rain has not really made things uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I need to rest up and bring you up to speed.

First things first. My traveling companion, Tom, went ahead today. He wants to get to SF in a week and there is no way he could make it if he rested today. I misstated his age. He’s 19, not 20. We were the most odd couple, Mutt and Jeff on 101. But, he pulled me up the hills. Boy, did he. What a beast! Did I say hills? Tuesday and yesterday were brutal. Tom led brilliantly. There are more hills to come, and it’s going to be much harder without someone to chase. I will miss his companionship.

We made it to California on Tuesday. I was happy to leave Oregon and its diesel 4×4 pickups with oversized tires. I lost my US flag somewhere between Washburne SP and Tugman SP, so I picked up another one at Wal-Mart in Coos Bay. I could tell the difference between riding a bicycle pretending to be a MAGA patriot compared to a patriot without the flag. The traffic seemed more congenial with the flag.

Still, there were other opportunities to witness the Animal House ethic of “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son”. Tom and I aided three helpless lads from Eugene by shoveling their 1980s Bronco out of sand dunes that they drove into thinking their campground was on that turnoff. Why they thought a “Redneck” bumper sticker on the back window was cool still perplexes me. When I told Tom I was trying my best these days to follow the “Are you quick to judge or are you quick to empathize?”philosophy, he responded, “No, I’m quick to judge. Sorry.”

Once we got south of Bandon, traffic appreciably thinned out. I had no idea that Bandon was the home to a large cranberry growing region. I got very excited thinking about the possibility of cranberry honey because cranberries require pollination. Sadly, the cranberry growers depend on commercial beekeepers to pollinate their bogs. I say “sadly” because enterprising folks could be missing a big opportunity to capture cranberry honey. There was one roadside outlet for cranberry products and I bought a small jar of pure cranberry jam. It was delicious, and hopefully I’ll stop buying heavy things soon.

Often the route we follow is not on U.S. 101 and is not always easier. The rebuilt portions of U.S. 101 are wide and built for speed with grades of 6-7% maximum. The alternatives are often the original 101 that have been neglected or sparsely used or are just county roads. The grades on some of these uphill road sections are very steep. That means the downhills are much faster! These roads allow us to see rural America in ways that you don’t always get to see from the speedways. It was also an opportunity for Tom and I to ride side-by-side and chat without worrying about the 4×4’s driving over the top of us. Because it’s spring, the landscapes are full of color and the promise of the season.

Of course the trip highlight now is the redwood forest. It’s also where 46 years ago my family camped at Jedidiah Smith State Park and had one of our more memorable family trips. That summer I worked for the University of Idaho’s Research Extension office in Twin Falls and drove a 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 I bought for $500 to my folks’ house in Roseville, California before heading to Jedidiah State Park. We surf fished, swam, hiked and had a magnificent time. The magnificence is still there.

Instead of going into Crescent City, Tom and I diverted from the normal west coast bicycle route and rode east to Hiouchi at the confluence of the middle and south forks of the Smith River. From there we rode through the Jedidiah Smith SP forest and that’s where time stood still. It was just an appetizer, however, because yesterday we rode along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway for what was a constant head-jerking experience. If you ever watched The Lord of the Rings, then you’ll remember the Ents as allies of the free people of Middle-earth. I swear that’s what we saw. Toward the end of the Parkway was Elk Prairie and dozens of bull elk hanging out. I didn’t want to leave.

Starting Saturday, I’ll be traveling down the Avenue of the Giants, another redwood highlight. Bring it on!